Check-register.



Patented Mar. '5, |9ol.

H.. WOUDWORTH &.`J. COWIE.

CHECK REGISTER.

(,pplimion med oet. s, 1900.)

2 Shots-Shoot I.

(lo Model.)

wz Norms PETERS co. moouno.. wAsNlNoTon. uA c.

No. 669,333.' Patented nar. 5,1m

u. wpnnwonrn a J. come.

CHECK REGIS-TER.` (Applimin med on. a, 1900.)g

2 Sheets-#Shoal 2.

(Ilo Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I'IARRY WOODWIORTH AND JAMES COWIE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CHECK-REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent N o. 669,333, dated March5, 1901.

Application tiled October 8, 1900. Serial Nol 32,385- lNo model.)

To (i1/ZZ whom, it NM1/y concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY WOOD WORTH, a citizen ofthe United States ofAmerica, and JAMES COWIE, a citizen of the Kingdom of Great Britain,both residents of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, havein vented certain new and useful Improvements in Check-Registers, ofwhich the following is a specification and which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to that form of register for the use of cashiersin barber-shops and like situations in which an account is kept by meansol checks, preferably of metal, a separat-e check being used to indicatethe amount of each sale or cash transaction.

One object of the invention is to provide in a device ot' this characterwhich has a manually-controlled locking device for the cashdrawer, meansfor locking such controlling mechanism, and means for releasing suchlocking means by the insertion of a check into the slot leading to thecheck-receptacle, a further object being to provide means for retainingeach check within the passage leading to the check-receptacle and insuch position as to be visible until the next succeeding cashtransaction, when it is dropped into the receptacle. These objects areattained in the mechanism hereinafter fully described, and which isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1isatransverse vertical central section of the entire device. Fig. 2 is aplan section of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device,certain of the internal parts being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. A isa detail vertical central section upon an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is adetail section on the line 56 of Fig. 4, and Figs. G and 7 are detailsof certain parts of the device.

An oblong rectangulaicase 10 forms the base of the structure, withinwhich there is housed a sliding drawer 11 for receiving cash. A su[)erstructure 12 rises from the ofthe ca se for the hercinafter-describcdmechanism for controlling the locking device.

A spring m is located back of the drawer 11, so as to eject the sainewhen unlocked. A striker-plate n is iixed to and projects above theupper edge of the rear wall of the drawer 11 and is engaged by areciprocating dog l, which is thrown downwardly by means ot' a spring r.The lower end ot' the dog l is beveled, so that the striker-platen maypass it. as the drawer is 'forced inwardly. The dog l is pivoted to arock-lever c, the forward end of which projects through the front wallof the case and is provided with a finger-piece or push-button f bywhich vit may be depressed, so as to raise the dog.

A gong or bell 14 may be provided and is sounded by means ot' theclapper 15, carried by a suitably-mounted rock-lever o, which is pivotedto the support 22. A stop q is provided for limiting the downwardmovement of the inward end of the lever @and hence of the dog Z.

A sloth is formed in the top of the case 12 to receive the checks, (notshown,) but which are preferably of metal and circular in form, asuitable size being that of the halt-dollar. A plate t is hinged at .7cto and depends from the top of the case 12 immediately back ot' the slotb, and from the lower end of this plate there projects back ward l y andupwardly a rigid arm 16, which is. connected by means of a link g withthe in ward end ot' the leve-r c, so that when the drawer 11 is lockedthe lower end ot' the platezis thrown against the front wall of the case12, thereby forming with it a pocket to receive and retain the checkthat has been inserted and hold it before one ot' the glass plates h h,set in the front wall of the case. A spring j maybe provided for bearingagainst the rearward face of the plate t to hold it in its advance theinsertion of a check through the-slot b by the following means: A rod orlink 18 leads IOO upwardly from the bell-crank CZ to a rocklever c,pivoted to the upper end of the arm 16 and projecting through the plateso as to cross the path of the check. A weight 19 is mounted upon thelever c, so as to almost counterbalance the spring 17, and therebyprovide for a sufciently sensitive action of the locking mechanism, sothat the weight of the check will depress the lever c and withdraw thebell-crank CZ from the aperture of the lever e. Then pressure is appliedto the finger-piece f, so as to swing back the plate t, the lever c iscarried backwardly with it, and the check is thus released and permittedto fall upon a wire support c, which projects backwardly from the frontwall of the case l2 through the plate t. When in this position, thecheck is exposed to view behind the upper glass plate 7L and indicatesthe amount of the present transaction. The plate t is flanked byfcrwardly-projecting wings s s, which prevent the check from rollingsidewise off from the supporting-wire yv when the plate t is in itsrearward position. The wire u is U-shaped, its return end being spacedapart suiiiciently from the plate 7L, so that the check may pass it, butwill be by it retained in an upright position. A guide-plate 20 extendsdownwardly and forwardly from the upper edge of the plate t, so as toguide the check past the forward end of the lever c and the return endof the wire t'.

The wings s s are apertured at their lower ends and adjacent to theplate t, as shown at s', so that when the latter plate is thrownforwardly the check may fall laterally from the wire through one ofthese apertures and will then be caught by the lower end of the plate tand held behind the lower glass plate h, and thus be exposed to viewuntil the cashdrawer is again opened.

The operation of the device is as follows: A check having been presentedto the cashier by a customer is dropped into the slot Z9 and by itscontact with the lever c withdraws the bell-crank d from the aperture inthe lever e, the check itself remaining upon the end of the lever c. Thecashier now depresses the outer end of the lever e, thereby raising thedog Z and allowing the drawer to be ejected by the spring m. By the sameaction the plate t is withdrawn, and with it the lever c, allowing thepreviously-inserted check to drop into the receptacle 13 and the checklast inserted to fall to and rest upon the wire QJ, the solid portionsof the wings 3 s preventing it 'from falling therethrough and the freeor return arm of the wire o holding it in vertical position before theupper glass plate 7L. When the lever e is released by the cashier, theplate z5 swings forwardly, bringing the apertures of the wings s sopposite the check resting upon the wire c, and the check thereuponrolls laterally upon the wire and descends into the pocket at the lowerend of the plate z5 and is exposed to view before the lower glass plateh, remaining there until the mechanism is again put into operation. Thereturn of the lever e to its normal position, its inner end resting uponthe stop g, allows the bell-crank d to enter the aperture in its end,and to facilitate this action the end of the lever c is made concave, sothat the end of the bellcrank is guided to its aperture. The front a ofthe case is of course secured by a suitable lock and may be opened, soas to permit access to the receptacle 13, and at the close of businessthe checks within this receptacle may be compared with the cash in thedrawer and correctlyindicate the amount that should be found therein.

The receptacle 13 preferably occupies but one end of the case, so as toallow proper space for the operating mechanism, the inner wall of thereceptacle being shown at w.

IVe claim as our inventionl. In a check-register device, in combination,a case, a drawer, means for latching the drawer, means tor locking thelatching means, and means actuated by the insertion of a check forautomatically releasing the locking means.

2. In a check-register device, in combination, a case, a drawer, meansfor latching the drawer, means for locking the latching means, meansactuated by the insertion of a check for automatically releasing thelocking means, and means for releasing the drawer.

3. In a check-register, in combination, a suitable case, a cash-drawerand a check-receptacle therein,a dog forsecuringthedrawer, a manually-controlled lever for releasing the dog, a spring-controlled detentfor engaging the lever, a rock-lever projecting into the passage leadingto the check-receptacle and adapted to be actuated by a check enteringthe same, and a link connecting such lever with the deteut.

4. In a check-register, in combination, a case, a cash-drawer and acheck-receptacle within the case, an aperture in the case for theadmission of checks to the receptacle, a hinged plate forming one wallof the passage leading from such slot to the receptacle and beingadapted to swing against the opposite wall thereof to form aretaining-pockct, a wire or rod fixed across such passage, wingsprojecting forwardly from the sides of the hinged plate and havingapertures at their lower ends through which the check may fall from thefixed wire or rod, manually-controlled locking mechanism for thecashdrawer, and connection between the hinged plate and such mechanismwhereby the plate is swung backwardly by the unlocking of the drawer.

4HARRY WOODWORTH.

JAMES COWIE.

Witnesses:

EDWARD DUFFY, J. W. FENTON.

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